Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-03-28
COERCION IN IRELAND.
Balfour's Measure Much More SIEVE
Than the One QrieinnllH Rranaaed

I
Than the One Originally Proposed.
BosToN, March 27.-E. A. Perry cables to
the Herald from London:
At Saturdays cabinet meeting Lord Sails
burys insistence prevailed and the crimes
bill was remodelled in accordance with his
views. Of course the deliberations of cabi-
net council are not made public, but have
| high authority for stating that the coercion
bill to be introduced by Mr.. Balfour, the
chief secretary for Ireland, will be far more
drastic than the measure originally proposed.
| 1t will be provided that in Ireland any man
accused of murder may be given the option
Of standing his trial either at distant
place or by class jury selected by the
| crown. In minor cases the accused will be
| summarily tried by stipendiary magistrates.
With this power lodged in their hands the
| magistrates practically hold the liberties of
| the people in their grasp. Boycotting by in
| timidation is to be made punishable by terms
| of six months imprisonment. Where dis
| tricts are proclaimed juries may be dispensed
| with and trials be held by commissions of
| judges. In certain offenses the eases may be
removed for trial from Ireland to England if
| it is supposed that Irish juries will be expos
ed to intimidation. In short, the new meas
ure Is intended to be as sweeping and severe
as any coercion act passed during the present
generation. I hardly need say that suoh a
bill as I have outlined. which though it
does not openly abolish trial by jury in Ire
| land or suspend the habeas corpus has pre-
visions that nearly cover both operations, will
not get through Parliament without des-
perate struggle, but result of this weeks
work in the Commons the government are
armed with unprecedented powers of forcing
legislation in the teeth of destruction. The
action of the House last night makes it posi-
BILE for then. to keep their new coercion bill
under debate from day to day till the meas
ure is finally disposed of. Backed as they
are by majority which though somewhat
rayO at fha adj hos cn1f
enough body to it, they can certainly accom-
plish great deal if they have the courage of
their parliamentary position. The Irish land
bill which is probably to be introduced in
the House of Lords on Thursday was also
under consideration at the Cabinet meeting
1t recognizes the right of leaseholders to ap-
ply for the purchase of their farms under the |
act of 1881, the government advancing three
fourths of the purchase money. Provisions |
will be made for stay of eviction in certain |
cases, but am informed that the limits of |
this eviction clause have not been fully de- |
cided upon.
Home Rule Policy Growing.
BOSTON, March Ell. J. Clancy cables to
the Herald from London as follows:
Friday nights division showing decrease
of twenty-one in the governments majority
marks the beginning of vital change in the
situation. It was the first division on the
coercion bill and the one in which the gov
eminent calculated on more support than it
might look for in subsequent divisions, for
the motion simply asked for urgency land the
men who might not approve of the measure
when it submitted to the House could
without inconsistency vote that it should be |
given urgent consideration. The normal |
government majority, counting Liberal |
Unionists, is estimated to be 10. The ma
jority which the government organs yester- |
day morning estimated they would have on |
this division, allowing for sick and una
voidably absent men, was 100, but the ma
jority they actually had Friday night was SO.
they had thirty men absent who had not
paired with home rulers and of these only
six were genuinely disabled from attending.
The explanation of the absence of the re-
mainder is simply that they funked coercion. |
Several of the Tories and all the Unionists
returned at the general election pledged never
again to vote for coercion, whatever other
Irish policy they favored, and the result of
the Ilkeston election Friday, announced a
few hours before the division, gave them an
insight into the temper of the constituencies
on this question which made the most pru-
dent of them pause. Three Unionists actual
ly voted against the government and eight
more were among the absent ones. The sig
nificance of these figures cannot be overes-
timated. They show that the crum-
bling process has already set in
among the chosen ranks of the Unionists
and they are striking indication of the
pressure the members are feeling from the |
country. The 1lkeston election, following SO
close upon the great home rule victories at |
Burnley and Liverpool, leaves no doubt as to |
the way opinion is going. In Ilkeston the |
home rule majority, which was 800 at the |
general election, was yesterday increased to |
sort of thing the organizers report from |
every part of the country. Home |
rule Is advancing by leaps and bounds;
indeed the figures on Friday nights |
division and the debate itself tell |
a significant story of the IMMIGRATION of the |
collapse of the Unionists The Gladstonians |
polled every available man. They had only |
eight absentees. OF these six were pros
trated by illness. Of the other two, one was |
the new member from Ilkeston who had not |
taken his seat, and the other was abroad. AS |
for the debate itself the tone of all the Glad |
stonian speeches without exception was ad- |
vanced and uncompromising to the utmost, |
fact which is an impressive commentary up
on the shakiness that was imputed to the |
many Liberal quarters during the early |
portion not of the Of the The snse t1ns
fell short of that of the speeches of Mr.. Nor
ley and Mr. Gladstone, and these utterances
could not have been stronger had they fallen
from Mr.. William O'Brien and Mr.. Parnen. |
Nothing could have given happier en-
phasis to the bracing which the opposition |
has received than the splendidly vigorous
outburst with which Mr.. Parnel closed the |
debate. It has now become distinct posi- |
bility that the government may be upset be- /
fore the battle on this coercion bill is over. |
At any rate either the effect of the division |
and debate will be to cause the government |
to seriously modify it's coercion and strength |
en- its land measure, or else if it persists in |
strong coercion bill and weak land bill it |
will be generally taken that it is, in racing /
parlanee, ''riding for fall"
Al DUEL IN COURT ROOM.
Two Lawyers Fire at Each other |
Until One Falls.
COLUMBIA, March 27.-Some days ago